Golf ball driving range device

ABSTRACT

The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is directed to a structure used as a golf driving range shelter which allows the user thereof to be protected against adverse weather conditions while practicing golf swings during all seasons of the year. The structure is a self contained unit for each user, and a plurality of such structures can be located one beside the other and along an edge of an open field to provide means for a driving range for a multiplicity of users. The shelter includes side, top and rear walls and a bottom defining a compartment which is a size to permit the user of the shelter to practice a full swing with any desired golf club. The bottom portion of the shelter includes a prepared surface which may have an artificial turf as a portion thereof and includes means defining a tee upon which golf balls are placed prior to striking with clubs such as a driver. The front wall of each shelter is defined by an air wall through which golf balls may be driven. Also provided for the front wall is an overhead door which may be raised and lowered to control the use of each shelter. A coin operated release mechanism may be provided on each door to limit use of the shelters to authorized personnel.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,860,236

Buchanan Jan. 14, 1975 GOLF BALL DRIVING RANGE DEVICE directed to a structure used as a golf driving range [76] Inventor: James B. Buchanan, 2360 27th St.,

Marion, Iowa 52302 Filed: July 2, 1973 Appl. No.: 375,832

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,464,703 9/1969 Vallas 273/176 A Primary Examiner-George J. Marlow Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James C. Nemmers; Haven E. Simmons [57] ABSTRACT The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is QEZAZ shelter which allows the user thereof to be protected against adverse weather conditions while practicing golf swings during all seasons of the year. The struc ture is a self contained unit for each user, and a plurality of such structures can be located one beside the other and along an edge of an open field to provide means for a driving range for a multiplicity of users. The shelter includes side, top and rear walls and a bottom defining a compartment which is a size to permit the user of the shelter to practice a full swing with any desired golf club. The bottom portion of the shelter includes a prepared surface which may have an artifieta! 19ft: QV VELP V Q th and .l l li means defin' ing a tee upon which golf balls are placed prior to striking with clubs such as a driver. The front wall of each shelter is defined by an air wall through which golf balls may be driven. Also provided for the front wall is an overhead door which may be raised and lowered to control the use of each shelter. A coin operated release mechanism may be provided on each door to limit use of the shelters to authorized personnel.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures a3 Jilin GOLF BALL DRIVING RANGE DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to improvements in structures used primarily in the field of recreation, and more particularly to structures in combination with golf driving range businesses that provide substantial useful extensions of the periods of seasons of the year during which such golf driving range establishments are available for use to persons practicing golf swings. However, it will be understood that while this invention is directed particularly to structures used in the golf driving range business the individual structures themselves can be used by individuals separately of a driving range business. Furthermore, such golf driving range structures disclosed herein can be used in other businesses such as archery fields, rifle ranges, and the like wherein the ultimate purpose of the structure is to protect and give comfort to persons participating in outdoor sports during adverse weather conditions.

2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore, driving range establishments are generally configurated for providing a substantial number of aligned driving mats or hitting areas at one end of an open field and providing range markers in the field to which persons practicing a driving swing or a fairway shot can attempt to hit golf balls before going out to play a game of golf. While this well known type of golf driving range has substantial advantages during the normal golf season, and particularly during the pre-golf season when clement weather conditions prevail, it is difficult to use during inclement weather conditions. Therefore, during adverse weather, even during the normal golfing season, rain or other weather conditions, such as high winds, usually deter persons from practicing golf in open fields as heretofore provided for that purpose. This means a substantial loss in business to the person operating the golf driving range.

Relatively small structures used for sheltering garden tools and the like have been fabricated and arranged for shipment in pieces and assembled on the site where they are to be used. However such prior art structures used for tool sheds and the like are relatively small in construction and inadequate in that they do not provide sufficient ventilation or temperature control therein to be comfortable to persons positioned within the shelter. Furthermore, such prior art shelters do not include bottom surfaces upon which persons participating in an outdoor sport can simulate actually being outdoors while in fact being within the shelter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is designed to overcome the above noted limitations that are attainable with relatively small shelters heretofore utilized as garden tool shelters, and the like, in that sufficient ventilation is provided to enable persons to remain within the shelter for long periods of time without discomfort.

A feature of the present invention is to provide a shelter of sufficient size to allow the user thereof to stand erect and manipulate a golf club through a full golf swing, regardless of the overall length of the golf club then being used.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a shelter used as a golf driving range shelter wherein the atmospheric conditions such as temperature are controlled by heater and air conditioning means to enable the shelter to be used during substantially all of the seasons of the year.

Another feature of the present invention is the utilization of an air flow plenum chamber which directs air downwardly across an open front wall of the shelter so as to provide an air door which keeps heat or cooled air inside the shelter.

Briefly, the structure used as a golf driving range shelter as set forth herein can be used in all types of weather. Each individual golfers shelter or compartment would be equipped with heater and air conditioning fixtures in order to maintain the proper temperature at all times. These compartments would also be equipped with an overhead door that would be raised when the golfer desires to hit balls out of the shelter. When the door is in the raised position forced air is directed through a plenum chamber across the open wall of the shelter. This serves to effectively isolate the interior section of the compartment or shelter from the natural elements but which allows the user of the shelter to hit balls freely through the open front wall thereof. A series of such golf shelters can be arranged side by side along a common edge of an open field so as to be used in a business such as a golf driving range establishment, and wherein each of the shelters can be equipped with coin operated release mechanisms on each door so that their use by authorized personnel is achieved only when proper coinage is inserted into the coin receiving mechanisms associated therewith.

Many other features and advantages of this invention will be more fully realized and understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals throughout the various views of the drawings are intended to designate similar elements or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of structures used as golf driving range shelters, each one of said structures being constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view taken along Line 22 of FIG. 1 illustrating the various inner control mecha- V nism locations and shows an automatic door opening DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring now particularly to FIG. 1 there is seen a plurality of structures used as golf driving range shelters, each shelter here being designated generally by reference numeral 10. Only one of the shelters is here illustrated with the movable front wall thereof in an open condition to illustrate a user 11 practicing a golf swing with a golf club 12. However, it will be understood that the shelters 10 can be used for other sport activities such as archery or rifle and pistol marksmanship, and the like. Also, while a plurality of such shelters are shown in alignment so as to give the general impression of a golf driving range establishment, it will be understood that a single one of the shelters can be utilized by a private individual to practice a golf swing into an open field. Furthermore, the shelter may be utilized to practice a golf swing into a short distance by utilizing one of the well known net or ball capturing techniques into which a golf ball can be driven.

While it will be understood that all of the structures used as a golf driving range shelter are substantially of the same construction a single one of these shelters will be discussed with particularity herein. The golf driving range structure 10 includes left and right side wall members 13 and 14, their direction and spacing being sufficient to provide substantial space therein, and a top wall section 16 and a rear wall section 17. A bottom 18 can be formed as an integral part of the side, top and rear wall sections or it can be a preformed separate surface upon which the shelter 10 is positioned. In this instance the peripheral lower surfaces of the side and rear walls may be caulked or otherwise sealed against draft or leakage of ambient air temperatures and air currents.

Most advantageously, the size of the compartment within the shelter 10 is such as to permit the user thereof to practice a full golf swing with the longest golf clubs to which he is most likely to use. However, when the shelter 10 is utilized for outdoor sport activities such as rifle marksmanship or archery the shelter need not be as high as the overhead space for a golf club swing is not needed. The bottom 18 includes a prepared surface 20, preferably illustrated herein as artificial turf, which may include a well known standard type of rubber tee 21 extending upwardly through the artificial turf 20, which tee is utilized to support a golf ball a slight distance off the turf for hitting with a driver or other similar golf club.

A movable front wall 22 includes a plurality of spaced apart horizontally oriented hinged sections 23, with one of the hinged sections 23a including a transparent window 24 which is preferably rectangular in configuration and at a height above the ground to allow persons either inside the shelter or outside the shelter to look therethrough. The movable front wall or door section 22 is raised and lowered by means of a standard automatic door opening mechanism 26 having a chain or other drive connection 27 coupled between the drive mechanism 26 and the door 22. It will be understood that other door opening mechanisms may be used to provide this automatic door operation.

Positioned above the horizontal location of the door 22, i.e., when the door is fully opened, is an air temperature control delivery system including a plurality of parallel spaced apart conduit means configurated into a manifold section, here being designated generally by reference numeral 30. The conduit manifold section 30 is in direct fluid communication with an air temperature control means 31, which during the winter months heats the interior of the shelter, and during the summer months cools the interior of the shelter. As best seen in FIG. 4 the manifold section 30 includes a transversely disposed feed manifold conduit section 32 from which a plurality of longitudinally directed conduit manifold means 33 extend toward the movable front wall and enter a plenum chamber 34 as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The plenum chamber 34 extends substantially entirely across the front portion of the shelter to direct all of the air from the air control device 31 downwardly across the front open wall section of the shelter and provide an air door.

The particular construction of the plenum chamber 34 is best illustrated in detail with reference to FIG. 3 wherein the inlet portion of the plurality of longitudinally disposed manifold sections 33 are illustrated as entering the rear wall portion of the plenum chamber 34. The downwardly directed section 3 of the plenum chamber 34 includes a plurality of openings 37 located along the entire width of the door and these openings are of a size and spacing to provide the air door required as illustrated by the downwardly directed substantially curved arrow lines in FIG. 2.

While a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated herein with particularity it will be understood that the form of the invention disclosed and described is to be taken as the preferred form of the same, and that the invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction, such as shape, size and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or of the scope of the claims submitted herewith.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. A device for enabling golfers to practice driving golf balls in all types of weather conditions comprising a plurality of individual shelters generally in side-byside relationship, each of said shelters comprising side, top and rear walls and a bottom all joined together to define a compartment the interior of which is sufficiently large to allow a golfer to fully swing any of the conventional golf ball driving clubs without striking any of said walls and drive golf balls therefrom, a front wall attached to said shelter, means for moving said front wall to and from a fully open and fully closed position while remaining attached to said shelter to selectively provide access to the interior of said compartment, means selectively operable to provide a stream of air across the entire area of said front wall when said front wall is in an open position, said stream of air being of sufficient velocity to provide an air-door to assist in maintaining the temperature inside of said compartment, and air temperature control means to maintain the temperature inside of said compartment at a preselected level.

2. The device of claim 1 in which there are provided vertical tracks for said front wall which tracks extend along the forward portion of said side walls, horizontal tracks which extend beneath the top wall, and curved tracks which connect said vertical and horizontal tracks, and said front wall includes hinged sections having transversely outwardly directed roller members engageable and guided in said tracks to provide for moving of said front wall to and from the open and closed positions.

3. The device of claim 1 in which one of the hinged sections of said front wall includes a transparent section.

4. The device of claim 1 in which there is provided automatic lifting means coupled to said front wall, said lifting means including selectively operated actuating means for raising and lowering the moveable front wall.

5. The device of claim 1 in which the air temperature control means is positioned relative to the side, top and rear walls of said shelter so as not to interfere with any of the interior of the shelter in which the user practices his golf swing.

6. The device of claim 5 in which said temperature control means includes both heating means for supplementing ambient temperature during cold months of the year and air conditioning means for cooling the interior of the shelter during hot months of the year.

7. The device of claim 6 in which said heating means and air conditioning means is located on the exterior of air across the area of said front wall. 

1. A device for enabling golfers to practice driving golf balls in all types of weather conditions comprising a plurality of individual shelters generally in side-by-side relationship, each of said shelters comprising side, top and rear walls and a bottom all joined together to define a compartment the interior of which is sufficiently large to allow a golfer to fully swing any of the conventional golf ball driving clubs without striking any of said walls and drive golf balls therefrom, a front wall attached to said shelter, means for moving said front wall to and from a fully open and fully closed position while remaining attached to said shelter to selectively provide access to the interior of said compartment, means selectively operable to provide a stream of air across the entire area of said front wall when said front wall is in an open position, said stream of air being of sufficient velocity to provide an air-door to assist in maintaining the temperature inside of said compartment, and air temperature control means to maintain the temperature inside of said compartment at a pre-selected level.
 2. The device of claim 1 in which there are provided vertical tracks for said front wall which tracks extend along the forward portion of said side walls, horizontal tracks which extend beneath the top wall, and curved tracks which connect said vertical and horizontal tracks, and said front wall includes hinged sections having transversely outwardly directed roller members engageable and guided in said tracks to provide for moving of said front wall to and from the open and closed positions.
 3. The device of claim 1 in which one of the hinged sections of said front wall includes a transparent section.
 4. The device of claim 1 in which there is provided automatic lifting means coupled to said front wall, said lifting means including selectively operated actuating means for raising and lowering the moveable front wall.
 5. The device of claim 1 in which the air temperature control means is positioned relative to the side, top and rear walls of said shelter so as not to interfere with any of the interior of the shelter in which the user practices his golf swing.
 6. The device of claim 5 in which said temperature control means includes both heating means for supplementing ambient temperature during cold months of the year and air conditioning means for cooling the interior of the shelter during hot months of the year.
 7. The device of claim 6 in which said heating means and air conditioning means is located on the exterior of the back wall of said shelter so as to maximize the amount of interior space of said compartment, and said heating means and air conditioning means includes a conduit through which temperature controLled air is conveyed into said compartment for maintaining the preselected temperature level in said compartment.
 8. The device of claim 7 in which there is provided a manifold structure having an inlet connected to said conduit and outlet means for directing said stream of air across the area of said front wall. 